A CELEBRATION OF LA HO`I HO`I EA, SOVEREIGNTY RESTORATION DAY
IN THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM

JULY 31, 2011 – THOMAS SQUARE, DOWNTOWN HONOLULU

Photos: Dora Johnson

Ka Lā Ho’iho’i Ea, or Sovereignty Restoration Day, commemorates July 31, 1843, when
British Adm. Richard Thomas — for whom Thomas Square was named — ordered the
Union Jack removed and replaced with the Hawaiian kingdom flag, ending five months
of military occupation by Britain’s Lord George Paulet and replacing it with Britain’s
recognition of Hawaii’s independence.

King Kamehamea III proclaimed a 10-day holiday and July 31 became an annually
celebrated holiday. From this event came the motto of the kingdom (later adopted as the
motto of the “state” of Hawaii) “Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka ‘Aina I Ka Pono” – The sovereignty
of the land is perpetuated in rightness (or right action—pono). (“Ea” here is most often
interpreted as “life” of the land, but it is clear from the context of the origin of this saying
that the meaning of Ea as “sovereignty” was obviously intended.) Largely unobserved for
years, the holiday was revived in 1985 and has become an annual celebration at Thomas
Square.

In 1990, then-Gov. John Waihe`e issued a proclamation acknowledging the history of the

flag including the 1843 events with the British, and officially making July 31 “Ka Hae
Hawaii – Hawaiian Flag Day.”

Learn more by downloading the LA HO`I HO`I EA informational brochure here.

Honoring Our Ancestors Who Signed the Petitions Protesting Annexation of Hawaii to the United States

Hawaiian nationals throughout the Hawaiian Kingdom supported
their Queen and country by signing the great petition against
annexation in 1897. The petition was sent on to Washington DC
later that year. As a result, a second treaty of annexation before the
U.S. Congress failed to pass. The first attempt was withdrawn by
President Grover Cleveland. Without a treaty, how did Hawaii
become part of the United States?

Two petitions were circulated during that time by two political action
groups—Hui Kalai`āina, in support of the royalty, and Hui Aloha ` ina
(both men’s and women’s branches), in opposition to annexation. The
citizenry numbered approximately 40,000 at the time, and the two petitions
together included more than 39,000 signatures, a huge testament to the
desire of Hawaiians to maintain and support their Queen and country.
Overwhelmingly, our kūpuna did not want to be Americans. Their
opposition was captured in these petition signatures and today we honor
them for taking a clear and strong position.

The petitions were retrieved from the U.S. National Archives in Washington
DC and brought back to Hawaii by Dr. Noenoe Silva in 1997. They were
first presented to the public on January 17, 1998 during the Sovereign
Sunday event at `Iolani Palace grounds. Subsequently, Dr. Silva took the
petitions throughout ka pae `āina to introduce them to their descendants,
and there begins our tale of how these name signs come to be here today.

About Ka Lei Maile Ali`i Hawaiian Civic Club and Hawaiian Independence
Action Alliance, the sponsors of this project:

Ka Lei Maile Ali`i (KLMA) Hawaiian Civic Club was formed in 2003. The
club’s mission is to honor the life and work of Queen Lili`uokalani,
Hawaii’s last reigning monarch. The club’s work relies heavily on
educational and cultural programs, particularly the dissemination of
information about the Queen and about the people who supported her
efforts and her person during and after the overthrow, including in the
present time.

The Hawaiian Independence Action Alliance (HIAA) was formed in
December 2008 to call attention to Hawaii’s continued independence, to
push for de-occupation of Hawai`i, and to oppose federal recognition by the
United States.

In 2009, KLMA introduced to the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs a
resolution to have the document in the hand of the McKinley Statue recast
to remove the words “Treaty of Annexation”. The resolution passed
unopposed. In 2010, on American President’s Day, KLMA and HIAA cosponsored
the first display of the ku`e name signs (a total of 600) at
McKinley High School in downtown Honolulu, with names laid out
immediately around the McKinley statue in the circular area that the school
refers to as “sacred ground” (but sacred for school-related reasons).

For the Kamehameha Day Celebration on June 12, 2010, the groups

sponsored the display at `Iolani Palace grounds, this time laying out
approximately 1100 individual name signs. Hundreds of passers-by came
to view the signs, to ask questions, to create new signs with their own
kupuna names and, in the process, honoring their ku`e and their memory. In
participating with us, visitors learned about the petitions and about a history
of Hawai`i that had been erased for over a hundred years. The signs were
again displayed at `Iolani Palace on Sept. 2, 2010 to honor Queen
Liliuokalani on her birthday.

Today’s display is the 6th in a series. Future displays are planned for
September 4, 2011 at `Iolani Palace to honor the Queen and in October
2012 in Washington D.C. for Hawaiian Civic Club Convention.